Home Affairs Minister Mohamad Radzi Sheikh Ahmad
said his ministry had received many complaints from employers that the ruling in
the memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Indonesia and Malaysia concerning
Indonesian domestic workers had been ignored by both local agencies and
Indonesian agents. Under the accord, the Malaysian employer pays RM2,415 to
local agencies while the Indonesian domestic worker pays RM1,300 to the
Indonesian agent. However, local agencies often charge more. Desperate employers
pay as much as RM4,000 on behalf of the domestic worker to the Indonesian agent
o top of the RM2,415-fee.

The ministry noted that an average of 1,200
foreign domestic workers runs away every month and the number is growing. It is
reported that placement agencies sometimes encourage foreign domestic workers to
run away from their employers in order to place them in other households. If a
domestic worker disappears, an employer should pay an additional RM250-fee to
cancel her work permit while a placement agency can earn a new RM2,415-fee.
Given the current situation, the government is considering firm action against
such agencies.

However, Malaysian Association of Foreign
Housemaids Agencies (Papa) said between 80 and 85 percent of foreign domestic
workers run away due to their employers’ mistreatment. Its president Datuk Raja
Zulkepley Dahalan said employers should be penalized for their runaway workers,
not the agents. In contrast, Association of Private Employment Agencies (Pikaps)
president Datuk Abdul Baharom Ghani claimed that 99 percent of domestic workers
who run away had planned their escape even before coming to Malaysia.

An average of 1,000 Indonesian domestic workers
enters Malaysia each month but the number has significantly dropped recently due
to low wages. Indonesian agents are also unwilling to send their workers to
Malaysia or send unqualified ones because they feel that the recruitment fee set
by the pact between the two countries gives them insufficient profit. Malaysia
faces competition from Singapore and Hong Kong which offer better wages.
Minister Radzi will have a meeting with Indonesia’s Labor Minister Erman Suparno
at the end of May to discuss issues concerning migrant workers. Radzi also said
the government is looking at other Asian countries such as India, China, Laos,
Nepal, Vietnam, Timor Leste, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, to fulfill the
country’s demands for domestic workers.

Malaysians might be required to buy insurance
for their foreign domestic workers to boost their safety and security. The
proposal is expected to be approved by the Cabinet after Minister Radzi’s
meeting with his Indonesian counterpart, Irwan Suparno. Radzi said Indonesia’s
request for a pay increase for Indonesian domestic workers was still being
discussed.

Meanwhile, Minister of Information Seri Zainudin
Bin Maidin said Malaysia still needs Indonesian migrant workers and therefore
would continue to try to improve their welfare and salary.

Proposal to hire Chinese domestic workers
opposed

The proposal to bring in domestic workers from
China has sparked strong opposition from women leaders in the Barisan Nasional
and the Democratic Action Party (DAP). The women’s wing of the Malaysian Chinese
Association, one of the country’s ruling parties, has called on the government
to review the plan because it fears that Chinese domestic workers might seduce
local married men, and will thus lead to the breakup of Malaysian families. Ng
Yen Yen, head of the women’s wing, said her party has received many complaints
from Malaysian wives saying their husbands have fallen prey to the charms of
Chinese women. Ng said the party is appealing to the Home Affairs Ministry to
halt the scheme for the time being. DAP leader Teresa Kok also mentioned there
is distrust of Chinese women among the local Chinese community.

Earlier, Home Affairs Minister Radzi said the
government was considering importing domestic workers from China and India in
order to curb the shortage from Indonesia and the Philippines. He said the two
countries are worth considering because many employers in Malaysia are familiar
with their languages and cultures. Ivy Josiah, executive director of the Women’s
Aid Organization, said foreign domestic workers are unwilling to work in
Malaysia because the country has low labor standards – there are no compulsory
days off, wages are low; and workers are not properly protected.

System to check migrants’ conditions proposed

The Consumers Association of Penang proposes the
setting up of a checking system where migrant workers can be presented to a
panel of at least two or three government officials for observation and a short
interview without the employer being present. Interviews could be conducted
three months after a worker’s arrival and prior to the renewal of work permits.
Workers could be given information on their rights and the procedure they could
take in case they are abused.

Govt agencies discuss the plight of migrant
workers

Yayasan Strategik Sosial (YSS) held a discussion
with various government agencies and private organizations on the plight of
migrant workers to identify their problems and the reasons why they are abused
by employers. YSS Datuk Dr Denison Jaya Sooria said the discussion helped build
a close relationship between the police and the customs in verifying the details
of arrested migrant workers and taking actions against employers in case
complaints were made.

Migrants need access to health services

CARAM Asia, a Malaysian-based coalition of
migrant and health groups from 15 countries said the spread of HIV/AIDS is
threatening millions of migrant workers in Asia who lack sufficient access to
health services. This affects not only the health of migrants and but also that
of the local population. According to the group, on many cases, migrants found
to be HIV-positive are deported without any help or immediate treatment.

Foreign doctors must take competency exams

Malaysia is considering requiring doctors who
graduated from foreign medical schools to take a competency exam before allowing
them to practice in the country. The Health Ministry and the Malaysian Medical
Council are discussing the possibility of a unified medical examination for
overseas graduates.

Advice to employers before sending workers home

An employer belatedly realized that she had to
fill up a form at the Immigration Department before sending her domestic worker
home. She was told to pay RM250 and to lodge a police report saying her domestic
worker had run away when she went to the department to fulfill her obligation. A
spokesman from the Immigration Department later said that she did not need to
lodge a police report.

Bangladeshi workers face problems with
immigration checks

The Bangladesh High Commission in Kuala Lumpur
said they had undertaken extra steps to facilitate the entry of Bangladeshi
workers to Malaysia. The High Commission said nearly 1,200 Bangladeshi workers
come to Malaysia on different flights and oftentimes face problems in
immigration checks. Immigration officials become suspicious when they find
inconsistencies in the travel documents or finger prints and when recruitment
agencies do not appear on time to receive the workers.

Rela criticized for violating migrants’ human
rights

The NGO Suaram said the raid operation of
irregular immigrants by untrained personnel from a volunteer corps called Rela
had led to rampant human rights violations and the sanctioning of a vigilante
culture. Suaram said migrant and refugees continued to be the most vulnerable to
rights violations and such raids have led to overcrowded detention camps and
deteriorating conditions faced by migrants and refugees. The Rela taskforce has
attracted criticism for abuses of power. Among others, Human Rights Watch has
called that it be disbanded immediately.

Rela arrests Indian film maker

Rela officers arrested and detained an Indian
national working on a tourism film. Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan
Tengku Mansor said Rela should not go overboard as it can lead to problems.
Tengku Adnan apologized after the Indian was detained for three hours by two
members of the Rela corps. It was alleged that they thought he was a Bangladeshi
irregular immigrant.

Irregular immigrants in Sabah should be deported

Patrick Cindu, the president of Sabah’s consumer
association, argued that the presence of thousands of irregular immigrants in
Sabah poses a security threat to locals; thus, all of them should be deported as
soon as possible. Misri Barham, the director of the Sabah’s Federal Special Task
Force said that the authorities in Sabah had detained some 9,558 irregular
immigrants, mostly Filipinos, during the first four months of 2007.

In related news, Senator Datuk Armani Mahiruddin
proposed the federal government tighten security surveillance of Sabah waters
and the country.

Four irregular immigrants plucked out from the
sea

Four suspected irregular immigrants, all Bajau
Palauh aged between 15 and 17, jumped into the sea to escape a police raid at Kg
Tanjung Aru Lama. The police team from the Tanjung Aru station that carried out
the operation then radioed the marine police for assistance. The four were
plucked out from the sea soon owing to the swift response by the marine team.

4 document forgers arrested

Police have busted an illegal “mini immigration
department" that used fake rubber stamps to extend the permitted length of stay
for irregular migrants. Central Seberang Prai deputy OCPD Supt Mohan Singh said
a police team raided a house at Taman Selamat on 18 May and detained four
Myanmar nationals aged between 23 and 50.

Indian detained for failing to produce his
passport

Police detained Vijay Kumar Varadan, Indian
employed by Tata Consultancy Services Sdn Bhd and assigned to a project for
Standard Chartered Bank, for four hours for failing to produce his original
passport. Immigration enforcement director Datuk Ishak Mohamed said all
foreigners were required to carry their passports at all times.

947 cases involving foreigners reported in Q1

A total of 947 cases involving foreigners were
reported in the first three months of 2007. Deputy Internal Security Minister
Datuk Mohd Johari Baharum said Filipino and Indonesian nationals made up the
most number of foreigners involved in criminal intimidation and extortion,
followed by Vietnamese, Myanmars, Bangladeshis and Thais.

30 foreigners arrested for scams

Malaysian police conducted major raids and
arrested more than 30 (another report cites 34) foreigners for operating
Internet and other scams that seized victims across the Asia-Pacific. Some of
the detainees entered the country on student visas or with UNHCR documents.
Police also investigated the detainees for breaching immigration laws.

Filipino worker jailed for murder

A Malaysian court sentenced Abdul Mindan Abdul
Hamsani, a 20-year-old Filipino oil palm plantation worker, to 10 years in
prison after finding him guilty of killing his brother-in-law, Mukin Hawari, 38,
in April 2006. Mindan slashed Mukin with a parang (long knife) supposedly in
self-defense and surrendered to the Semporna police afterwards.

Baby found dead, nanny missing

A14-month-old baby was found dead in his cradle
by his mother Masnita Mokhtar, when she returned from work on 16 May. Aji Nor,
her 27-year-old Indonesian domestic worker, who had worked at her house only for
two weeks, was missing. Post-mortem results showed the baby had choked on his
food and there were no signs of injuries. Masnita said the Indonesian domestic
worker recently asked for Rp2 million, claiming that her father had an accident
in Indonesia. She banked Rp1 million in her account.

Thai crewmen arrested for illegal fishing

Eight crew members of a Thai trawler were held
on 27 May for illegally fishing in Malaysian waters. They were handed over to
the Fisheries Department for further action.

Filipino migrant workers can remit through SMS

Filipino workers can now send home money within
seconds through mobile phone service messaging. Maxis Communications Berhad and
the Philippine’s telecommunications company Globe Telecom launched the world’s
first international mobile-to-mobile money transfer service between the two
countries. The service allows customers to transfer up to P6,500 (RM500) per
transaction at RM5 per transaction and 15 cents for each SMS, half the
transaction fee of banks. Up to RM10,000 can be transferred per day at no charge
to recipients. On receipt of an SMS confirmation, a recipient can withdraw the
money through any of Globe’s GCash 6,000 outlets in the Philippines as well as
rural banks, pawnshops and retail outlets and pay for things and tuition fees in
some places without cashing it out.

Burmese refugees vulnerable to arrest and abuse

Burmese refugees in Malaysia continue to face
abuses, arrest, detention and deportation. Malaysia has not signed the 1951
Refugee Convention or its 1967 Protocol; therefore, the government does not
distinguish between refugees, asylum seekers and irregular migrants. In 2004,
the government agreed to issue IMM13 work permits for the Rohingya, an ethnic
minority from Burma’s Northern Rakhine State. At least several thousands of
refugees were registered but no permits have been issued and the Rohingya
continue to be vulnerable to arrest and abuse. Burmese refugees and asylum
seekers in Malaysia cope with difficult living conditions and have little access
to basic services like health care. The Malaysian authorities have long been
harassing and intimidating Burmese refugees because many lack any type of
documentation. Even those refugees who are recognized by UNHCR and carry
registration documents are being arrested by RELA. UNHCR is the sole provider of
protection to refugees and asylum seekers in Malaysia. The agency’s resources
have been limited for the past several years and the agency continues to deal
with processing a large backlog of cases.

Refugee issue is humanitarian: UNHCR

UNHCR Malaysia Representative Dr.
Volker Turk said that closing the Filipino refugee camps in Sabah and sending
them back to their country may not be a good idea. Several MPs and assemblymen
in Sabah called on the government to close down the refugee camps on the grounds
that they have become a colony for criminals and dadah pushers. Turk said the
issue should be depoliticized and be viewed on a humanitarian basis. Turk said
that many of the refugees have become part of the local community in Sabah, and
this should be taken into consideration.

I-Kad to be issued to foreign students

The Ministry of Home Affairs plans to issue
I-Kad (smart I-cards) that has 17 security features to the 66,580 foreign
students registered in universities and colleges over the next three months. The
I-Kad will replace the current student identification card. Foreign students
should carry the I-Kad at all times in lieu of passports. The I-Kads, along with
the online visa or e-pass and the one-stop processing center for foreign
students applying to study in Malaysia, are intended to curb the abuse of
student identification documents for work purposes. Home Affairs Minister Datuk
Seri Radzi Sheikh Ahmad said the smart cards would also be issued soon to
expatriates and foreign workers.

More Malaysian men are marrying foreigners

A growing number of Malaysian men marry
foreigners with the help of several matchmaking agencies. Women, Family and
Community Development Ministry parliamentary secretary Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun
said these marriages encounter various problems due to cultural differences,
misunderstandings and cheating.

20 Malaysians fall victims of illegal
recruitment every month

Human Resources Minister Fong Chan Onn said at
least 20 Malaysian workers fall victims to abuse and fraud committed by
recruitment agents every month. Recruiting agents promising the workers good
jobs with good pay take away workers’ passports and other documents. When those
who find out that either there is no job or the job is not what is promised
decide to quit, the agents ask them to pay RM2,000 before returning their
documents.